Automatic die-casting machine



Aug. 28, W23.

R. E BYRD AUTOMATIC DIE CASTING MACHINE 2 SheetS-Sheet 1 Filed July 14. 1921 I El IIB' @t Aug. 28, E923.

R. E. BYRD AUTOMATIC DIE CASTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 14. 1921 Patented ug. 28, i923.

entre rs ROBERT BYRD, OF- ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC DIE-CASTING MACHINE.

Application led `luly 14, 1921.

` following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en- 'able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in die-casting machines, and the object thereofy is to provide a machine .which will close the molding die, force molten metal into the die cavity, open the die, and eject the finished casting from the die, and perform said sequences of operation automatically without the aid of the operator.

Other objects of invention will appear hereinafter in the description of the details of mechanism. i

rlhe features of my invention will appear hereinafter and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l, is an end elevation of my improved die casting machine.

Figure 2, is a central section of the melting pot, plunger and casting die in position to receive molten metal.

Figure 3, is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1 the heating tank being shown in transverse central section.

Figure 4, is a plan View of the same.

Figure 5, is an enlarged plan view die holding and operating mechanism having a portion thereof broken away.

Figure 6, is a plan View of a fragment of the plate upon which the die-holding mechanism rests.

In these drawings A indicates the base plate of the machine upon which is placed a pedestal A', which has formed on the upper end thereof a tank or melting pot A2, the upper end of said pedestal extending upwardly beyond the bottom of said melting pot A2. The upper end of said pedestal is provided with a longitudinal opening piston B lhaving a central longitudinal pasa, which communicates with the tank A2 Serial No. 484,788.

sage b therethrough. This piston is operated by means of a lever C (see Fig. 3) which is fulcrumed upon a link C which is pivoted upon a bracket C2 on the melting pot A2, said lever being pivoted to the upper end of the piston B by means of pins 0.

Upon the base plate A ll place upright frames D, D in the upper end of which is mounted a shaft D2; and upon the shaft D2, directly under the lever C, l place a cam Wheel E, and upon the lever C there is secured a bracket E', which carries a roller e, which engages the cam wheel ll, sothat as the cam wheel E rotates, the lever C is operated thereby to cause the piston B to reciprocate in the opening or chamber a in the upper end of the pedestal. Said piston moves downward by gravity, and is raised by the upward cam driven movement of the lever C.

Upon the upper end of the piston D l secure an upright bracket B having an arm. b which overhangs the upper end of the piston B. Upon the upper end of the piston B is secured a plate F having a hole f therethrough which registers with the passage b in the piston B. Upon the plate F there is pivoted by means of a pivot F the die-holding mechanism of my machine, consisting of a swinging die-bar Gr, (see Fig. 5), provided with an operating handle g', and another die-bar G which has one end thereof pivoted to an ear g by means of a pin g.

rll`he bar G is provided with a hook arm g3 which is adapted to engage the upright bracket B and thereby limit the lateral movement of the die-bar G as hereinafter described. The diebars Gand Gr are provided with recesses H, OH" with which pasl sage ways z., cored out in the die-bars Grand lthe, plate F are cam plates-F? which engage a roller (not shown) secured onthe under side of the core-pin slide J`by means of a bolt j; and on the opposite end of the plate F are secured a pair of 'spacedbars F3, F4', between which a roller j', secured on the under side of the core-pin slide J by means of the pin jz operates.

Pivoted on the die-barG'is a latch hook K having a slotted opening into which the pin jz on the core-pinslide J projects; the free end of said latch hook being adapted to engage a stud-pin g4 on the die-bar G when the dies are closed as shown by full lines in Fig. 5.

The bar F 4 (see Fig. 6) is provided with an adjustin screw f which is adapted to be engaged tby the roller j for the purpose of forcmg the core-pin slide J firmly against the die hereinafter described, and the bar F3 is cut awayopposite said adjusting screw to give clearance for said roller. The bar F2 is'preferably provided with a cam-like projection f2 to be engaged by the roller j to cause the latch hook K to become disengaged from the stud-pin g4 before the hook arm g3 engages the upright bracket B',

Secured against the adjacent faces of the die-bars G and Gvare the casting dies L, L, said dies being secured on said die-bars G and G so that they -cover the recesses ll and H by means of screws Z. The dies L and L are of ordinary construction as regards the casting cavity or mould, the same being formed according to the image desired.

The core-pin slides may be provided with core-pins 7'3 which extend into the mould cavity through openings formed equally in each half of the complete die; and likewise the two halves of the die L, L are provided with an opening Z which coincides with the hole f in the plate F when the die is closed, as shown in full lines in Fig. 5.

p ln order to eject the casting from the die L when the die is opened, l provide a spring-pressed plate M which is slidably mounted on stud bolts M secured in the die arm, and a spring M2 is placed between the die arm G and the plate M to yieldingly maintain the plate in the position thereof shown by full lines in F ig. 5. From the plate M ejector rods m pass through openings in the die-bar G and die L, the inner ends thereof being Hush with the wall of the die-cavit Secured to tlie plate F is a stationary arm M3 which is provided with a post M4 against which the plate M strikes when the die-arm G is moved to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 5, which depresses said plate and forces the ejector rods m inwardly, which ejects the casting from the die L, said casting having been carried out of the die L by the core-pins js before they have been withdrawn, as hereinafter described.

The plate F is cut away as shown in Fig. 6, a sucient amount to permit the casting to drop out from between the dies when it has been ejected from the die. Suitable water connections are' made with the cored passages h to provide for a circulation of cold water through the recees l-ll and H for the purpose of keeping the dies L and L cool in orderv that 'the moulten j metal will be instantly chilled when it contacts therewith.

raeaaee Securedr in the overhanging arm b of the bracket B (see Fig. 2) `is a swinging arm N with which a sprin n is connected, the opposite end thereof bem connected to a post n in the bracket B. ecured in the die arm G is a post P in which is placed a screw lP 'which is adapted to engage the swinging arm N and thereby force it backward as the die arm G is closed, thereby causing said swinging arm N to engage the dies L, L and force them firmly down upon the plate F during the casting process.

ln order to provide mechanism to automatically open and close the die-mechanism hereinbefore described, l provide a lever Q,

which is fulcrumed upon a shaft Q mountedin suitable bearin s g on the base plate of the machine, said ever Q extending upwardly to a point adjacent to the handle g of the die bar G.

The .lever Q is provided at its upper end with upwardly extending bars g', g2 which are adapted to engage the handle g of the die-bar G at opposite sides thereof. The b-ar g' is provided'with a screw g3 to engage said handle s0 that the amount of lost I motion between the lever Q and handle g can be regulated.

The lever Q is provided with a safety anni lt, which, when the lever Q is swung toward the left, prevents. the lever C from dropping, by means of any accident, when the dies are open. The safety arm R is provided with 4a spring pressed cushion bolt r adapted to receive the lever C when it is dropped by the cam wheelF. This bolt 1 can be ad'usted by means of the nutJ r to regulate t e amount of metal forced into the dies. v

To operate the lever Q lprovide a drum S on the shaft D2, upon which is secured a cam-bar S having suitable shape to adapt it to engage the roller Q2 secured on the lever Q and swing it toward the left a Sudicient distance to swing the die-bar G to the position thereof shown by broken lines in Fig. 5. A spring Q4 is provided to return the lever Q and die-arm G to vthe positions thereof shown by full lines in Fi s. 3 and 5, said spring causing the roller Q2 to continue in engagement with the cam S during the movement of the lever Q to the left and the return movement thereof to the right.

The mechanism which ll preferably use to rotate the shaft D2 consists of a shaft T journalled in suitable bearings t on the upright frame D. Upon the shaft T is secured a worm T which intermeshes with a worm-gear T2. lUponl Lthe shaft T is placed a band pulley U, and ll provide on the shaft` T a clutch by means of which the mechanism can be stopped when desired;

To provide heat for the melting pot A2, T place duid fuel burners V of ordinary conlll@ lll@

struction thereunder, and to conserve the heat l place a sheet iron curtain W around said pot, said curtain being provided with openings w adjacent to the upper edge thereof to provide for the escape of the products of combustion.

In operation, metal to be melted is placed in the pot A2, and when-the same has been melted and ows through openings a into the chamber a, power is then applied to the shaft T which causes the shaft D2 to revolve the cam-wheel E which permits the lever C to drop down upon the cushion bolt 1'. rl`he plunger or piston B with the die operating mechanism thereon is lowered by the lever C which forces some of the molten metal trapped by the piston in the chamber a, upward through the passage b into the dies L, L', where it comes into contact with the cold walls of the dies, and a thin film of' metal is immediately chilled and hardcned, and the continued revolution of the cam-wheel E raises the lever C, and piston B, which withdraws that portion of the molten metal from the central portion of the casting which has not become hardened, baclc down in the piston B.

The drum S and cam-bar S upon the shaft D2 has by this time revolved far enough so that the cam-bar S engages the roller Q on the lever Q which causes the same to swing toward the left thereb swinging the die-bars G and G to the position thereof shown by broken lines in Fig. 5, which movement shears off any metal projecting downward in the hole l in the dies.

The core-pins js which are carried on the slides J and J during the initial movement of the die-bar G extend into the casting and force it out of the die L when the hook g3 engages the bracket B and arrests the side-wise movement of the die-bar G',

meanwhile the continued movement 'of the die-bar G, the latch-hook K having been previously disengaged from the stud g4, as hereinbefore described, carries the ejector f plate M into contactvwith the post M4, which ejects the casting from the die L, the diepins js having by this time been withdrawn from the casting as hereinbefore described, and the casting drops downward into a receptacle (not shown) placed to receive the same.

The continued revolution .of the drum S and its cam-bar S now allows the spring Qi* to swing the lever Q toward the right,

which closes the die-barsG and G back to the position thereof-shown by full lines in Fig. 5, when the cam wheel E is in the position shown in F ig. 8, ready to repeat the operation.

It will beobserved from the description ofthe construction and operation 'of the machine, that I have made pkrovision for firmly holding the dies down upon the plate F, and the core-pin slides firmly against the sides of the dies during the casting process, thus eliminating the escape of metal from the dies during casting, so that the castings come out of the dies free from fins and projections of waste'metal.

Having thus fully shown and described my invention so that others can utilize the same, l do not desire to limit myself to the eXact form and arrangement of mechanism shown and described, as many alterations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the scope of my invention; therefore what l claim as new and desire to secure. by Letters Patent is 1. In amachine of the class described, a melting' pot, a cylinder within said pot, a vertically movable piston within said cylinder having a longitudinal passage therea moulding die composed of two parts, a'

plate on which said die rests, a die arm to carry one part of said die pivoted to said plate to swing horizontally thereon, another die arm to carry the other part of said die articulated on the first named die-bar and adapted to swing laterally with relation thereto, means to lock said barsv together during the casting operation, means to unlock the same when said first named diebar is operated to open'said die, cylinder and piston mechanism to force molten metal into said die and lever and mechanisms to operate said piston and die-bar mechanisms in timed sequence with relation to each other.

3. In a machine of the class described, cylinder and piston mechanism, a plate secured on said piston, a'die-bar pivoted on said plate, another die-bar articulated on the first named die-bar, one-half of a moulding die secured'on the adjacent faces of said die-'bars so that they will match together when said die-bars are closed, means to lock the free ends of said die-bars together during the casting operation, means to automatically unlock said die-bars when said barsl are operated to open said dies, means to press said die down upon said plate when the die is closed, means to supply moulten metal to said cylinder, lever and cam mechanism to voperate saidpiston to force moulten metal into said die, and lever and cam mechanism to operate said die-bars to open and close said die.

4. lin a machine of the class described, a moulding die holder comprising substantially a base plate, a die bar pivoted thereon, core-pin slides mounted in said die-bar adapted to engage opposite sides of said die, means secured on said base-plate to cause said core-pin slides to move longitudinally with relation to said die-bar when said die is opened, another die-bar hinged on the first mentioned die-bar, a moulding die part secured thereon to register With the first mentioned die part when the die parts are closed together, a latch hook pivoted on the iirst mentioned die-bar and adapted to engage a stud on the second mentioned diebar, means on one of said core-pin slides adapted to unhook said latch from said stud during the opening movement of said diebars, and means to arrest the movement of the second mentioned die-bar when said latch hook has been unhooked.

5. in a machine of the class described, a diefholding mechanism comprising articulated die-bars pivoted on a base-plate, a spring actuated plate slidably mounted upon and in front of one of said die-bars, ejector rods secured on said plate and slidably projecting through said bar and die thereon, and means to depress said plate when said die-bars are swung to their open position.

6. lin a machine of the class described, a plate, articulated die-bars pivotally mounted on said plate, moulding dies secured on said bars, said die-bars being adapted to move. said dies laterally before opening the same, piston mechanism to supply moulten metal to said dies, a lever to operate said piston` another lever adapted to operate -said die-bars, and mechanisms adapted to operate said levers in timed sequence with relation to each other.

Lacasse V7. lln a 'machine of the class described, a cylinder, means to supply moulten metal to said cylinder, a piston in said cylinder having a longitudinal opening ltherethrough, a plate secured on the upper end of said piston having a hole therethrough which registers with the opening in said piston, die-holding and operating mechanism mounted on said plate, moulding dies secured in said die-holding mechanism so as to communicate with the hole in said plate, means to press said die against said plate when the same is closed, a lever to operate said piston, another lever to operate said die-holding mechanism, a bar secured on the last named lever to prevent the irst named lever from moving down- Ward When the moulding dies are open, and cam mechanisms adapted to operate said levers in timed sequence with relation to each other.

8. ln a machine of the class described, a cylinder, means to supply moulten metal thereto, a vertically movable piston in said cylinder having a longitudinal passage therethrough, die operating mechanism supported on the upper end of said piston, dies secured therein and communicating with said passage, a lever adapted to lower and raise said piston, another lever adapted to operate said dieholding mechanism to open said die, a spring-pressed bolt supported on said second named lever adapted to limit the downward movement of the piston lever, and cam mechanisms adapted to operate the piston lever and die-holding mechanism lever in timed sequence With relation to each other.

lin testimony VWliereet lt ahx my signature.

lit-@BERT lE. BYRD. 

